Lock all senses as you venture into town!?Even the air-conditioned bus couldn?t keep out the smell of dried fish while bouncing over ruts and loose stones of the shantytown of poverty on the way into the city.

The old man looked cautious as I approached with the camera dangling from my neck. I really wanted to take a photo of the man behind him who was sleeping in his bicycle rickshaw. Pointing to the man behind, I did a ?shhhh? sound, while putting my finger to my mouth and then motioned with my head turned horizontally and my palms flat under the head that he was sleeping and to not make a sound. The old man then smiled and encouraged me to take his own photo as well. This moment made my day as the rest of the town seemed asleep for the last several decades.

Wind, rain and rot damage wanting attention covered every structure from the port to the middle of downtown where new high rises looked out-of-place. Cruise visitors coming into town on the ship?s free shuttle hurried to get back to the ship, just like me, after a few minutes of visiting the not-much-to-offer city center.

Never was I so happy that I had not paid for a city tour with the ship?s excursions.